Florida Senate - 2013 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HB 7127, 2nd Eng.
Barcode 576728
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
.
.
.
Floor: WD/3R .
05/03/2013 03:03 PM .
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Senator Evers moved the following:
1 Senate Amendment to Amendment (740626) (with title
2 amendment)
3
4 Delete lines 237 - 294
5 and insert:
6 Section 5. Subsection (3) of section 316.515, Florida
7 Statutes, is amended to read:
8 316.515 Maximum width, height, length.—
9 (3) LENGTH LIMITATION.—Except as otherwise provided in this
10 section, length limitations apply solely to a semitrailer or
11 trailer, and not to a truck tractor or to the overall length of
12 a combination of vehicles. No combination of commercial motor
13 vehicles coupled together and operating on the public roads may
14 consist of more than one truck tractor and two trailing units.
15 Unless otherwise specifically provided for in this section, a
16 combination of vehicles not qualifying as commercial motor
17 vehicles may consist of no more than two units coupled together;
18 such nonqualifying combination of vehicles may not exceed a
19 total length of 80 65 feet with no more than a 5 percent
20 variance, inclusive of the load carried thereon, but exclusive
21 of safety and energy conservation devices approved by the
22 department for use on vehicles using public roads.
23 Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a truck
24 tractor-semitrailer combination engaged in the transportation of
25 automobiles or boats may transport motor vehicles or boats on
26 part of the power unit; and, except as may otherwise be mandated
27 under federal law, an automobile or boat transporter semitrailer
28 may not exceed 50 feet in length, exclusive of the load;
29 however, the load may extend up to an additional 6 feet beyond
30 the rear of the trailer. The 50-feet length limitation does not
31 apply to non-stinger-steered automobile or boat transporters
32 that are 65 feet or less in overall length, exclusive of the
33 load carried thereon, or to stinger-steered automobile or boat
34 transporters that are 75 feet or less in overall length,
35 exclusive of the load carried thereon. For purposes of this
36 subsection, a “stinger-steered automobile or boat transporter”
37 is an automobile or boat transporter configured as a semitrailer
38 combination wherein the fifth wheel is located on a drop frame
39 located behind and below the rearmost axle of the power unit.
40 Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b), any straight truck or
41 truck tractor-semitrailer combination engaged in the
42 transportation of horticultural trees may allow the load to
43 extend up to an additional 10 feet beyond the rear of the
44 vehicle, provided said trees are resting against a retaining bar
45 mounted above the truck bed so that the root balls of the trees
46 rest on the floor and to the front of the truck bed and the tops
47 of the trees extend up over and to the rear of the truck bed,
48 and provided the overhanging portion of the load is covered with
49 protective fabric.
50 (a) Straight trucks.—A straight truck may not exceed a
51 length of 40 feet in extreme overall dimension, exclusive of
52 safety and energy conservation devices approved by the
53 department for use on vehicles using public roads. A straight
54 truck may attach a forklift to the rear of the cargo bed,
55 provided the overall combined length of the vehicle and the
56 forklift does not exceed 50 feet. A straight truck may tow no
57 more than one trailer, and the overall length of the truck
58 trailer combination may not exceed 68 feet, including the load
59 thereon. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, a
60 truck-trailer combination engaged in the transportation of
61 boats, or boat trailers whose design dictates a front-to-rear
62 stacking method may not exceed the length limitations of this
63 paragraph exclusive of the load; however, the load may extend up
64 to an additional 6 feet beyond the rear of the trailer.
65 (b) Semitrailers.—
66 1. A semitrailer operating in a truck tractor-semitrailer
67 combination may not exceed 48 feet in extreme overall outside
68 dimension, measured from the front of the unit to the rear of
69 the unit and the load carried thereon, exclusive of safety and
70 energy conservation devices approved by the department for use
71 on vehicles using public roads, unless it complies with
72 subparagraph 2. A semitrailer which exceeds 48 feet in length
73 and is used to transport divisible loads may operate in this
74 state only if issued a permit under s. 316.550 and if such
75 trailer meets the requirements of this chapter relating to
76 vehicle equipment and safety. Except for highways on the tandem
77 trailer truck highway network, public roads deemed unsafe for
78 longer semitrailer vehicles or those roads on which such longer
79 vehicles are determined not to be in the interest of public
80 convenience shall, in conformance with s. 316.006, be restricted
81 by the Department of Transportation or by the local authority to
82 use by semitrailers not exceeding a length of 48 feet, inclusive
83 of the load carried thereon but exclusive of safety and energy
84 conservation devices approved by the department for use on
85 vehicles using public roads. Truck tractor-semitrailer
86 combinations shall be afforded reasonable access to terminals;
87 facilities for food, fuel, repairs, and rest; and points of
88 loading and unloading.
89 2. A semitrailer which is more than 48 feet but not more
90 than 53 feet in extreme overall outside dimension, as measured
91 pursuant to subparagraph 1., may operate on public roads, except
92 roads on the State Highway System which are restricted by the
93 Department of Transportation or other roads restricted by local
94 authorities, if:
95 a. The distance between the kingpin or other peg that locks
96 into the fifth wheel of a truck tractor and the center of the
97 rear axle or rear group of axles does not exceed 41 feet, or, in
98 the case of a semitrailer used exclusively or primarily to
99 transport vehicles in connection with motorsports competition
100 events, the distance does not exceed 46 feet from the kingpin to
101 the center of the rear axles; and
102 b. It is equipped with a substantial rear-end underride
103 protection device meeting the requirements of 49 C.F.R. s.
104 393.86, “Rear End Protection.”
105 (c) Tandem trailer trucks.—
106 1. Except for semitrailers and trailers of up to 28 1/2
107 feet in length which existed on December 1, 1982, and which were
108 actually and lawfully operating on that date, no semitrailer or
109 trailer operating in a truck tractor-semitrailer-trailer
110 combination may exceed a length of 28 feet in extreme overall
111 outside dimension, measured from the front of the unit to the
112 rear of the unit and the load carried thereon, exclusive of
113 safety and energy conservation devices approved by the
114 Department of Transportation for use on vehicles using public
115 roads.
116 2. Tandem trailer trucks conforming to the weight and size
117 limitations of this chapter and in immediate transit to or from
118 a terminal facility as defined in this chapter may operate on
119 the public roads of this state except for residential
120 neighborhood streets restricted by the Department of
121 Transportation or local jurisdictions. In addition, the
122 Department of Transportation or local jurisdictions may restrict
123 these vehicles from using streets and roads under their
124 maintenance responsibility on the basis of safety and
125 engineering analyses, provided that the restrictions are
126 consistent with the provisions of this chapter. The Department
127 of Transportation shall develop safety and engineering standards
128 to be used by all jurisdictions when identifying public roads
129 and streets to be restricted from tandem trailer truck
130 operations.
131 3. Except as otherwise provided in this section, within 5
132 miles of the Federal National Network for large trucks, tandem
133 trailer trucks shall be afforded access to terminals; facilities
134 for food, fuel, repairs, and rest; and points of loading and
135 unloading.
136 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special
137 law to the contrary, all local system tandem trailer truck route
138 review procedures must be consistent with those adopted by the
139 Department of Transportation.
140 5. Tandem trailer trucks employed as household goods
141 carriers and conforming to the weight and size limitations of
142 this chapter shall be afforded access to points of loading and
143 unloading on the public streets and roads of this state, except
144 for streets and roads that have been restricted from use by such
145 vehicles on the basis of safety and engineering analyses by the
146 jurisdiction responsible for maintenance of the streets and
147 roads.
148 (d) Maxi-cube vehicles.—Maxi-cube vehicles shall be allowed
149 to operate on routes open to tandem trailer trucks under the
150 same conditions applicable to tandem trailer trucks as specified
151 by this section.
152
153 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
154 And the title is amended as follows:
155 Between lines 4405 and 4406
156 insert:
157 increasing length limitations for combinations of
158 noncommercial motor vehicles;